Prosecutors have spent 18 months considering whether to charge a former army instructor at Deepcut barracks where five recruits died more than 20 years ago.
A file recommending that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) charge a former member of the Royal Logistic Corps for misconduct in a public office was sent last year but prosecutors said they were still unable to provide guidance on when a decision would be made.
Surrey police launched a fresh investigation into Deepcut barracks, near Camberley, Surrey, after the 2018 inquest into the death of Pte Sean Benton, who killed himself at the barracks in 1995. He had been found dead with five gunshot wounds to the chest.
Benton was one of five young soldiers whose deaths triggered accusations of a culture of bullying at Deepcut in the 1990s and 2000s that drove recruits to take their lives.
The Daily Mail reported that Surrey police’s review of the deaths of soldiers at the barracks found evidence to support charging one retired soldier, who is in his 70s, for his physical and verbal abuse of one of the trainees.
It is understood that the CPS has privately apologised to the families of deceased soldiers after they complained about the length of time it had taken to reach a decision.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: “We received a file of evidence from Surrey police following an investigation into allegations of misconduct in a public office.
“We are carefully considering this complex material and cannot provide a timeframe as to when a decision will be made.”
Four young soldiers at Deepcut killed themselves and a fifth died of a drugs overdose. Initial investigations into the deaths were subsequently criticised as inadequate and a 2006 review concluded that recruits had experienced “harassment, discrimination and oppressive behaviour”.
Benton’s family had noticed he had appeared thin and withdrawn when on leave at their home in Hastings, East Sussex, and on one occasion had cried before returning to his barracks.
Five months after Benton’s death, Pte Cheryl James, 18, was found with a bullet wound to her head after being posted on guard duty. A fresh inquest concluded in 2016 that she had killed herself. An inquest revealed life at the barracks to be chaotic and dangerous.
Pte Anthony Bartlett, 26, died from a suspected drug overdose in July 2001. In September 2001, Pte Geoff Gray, 17, died from two gunshot wounds to his head while on guard duty. Pte James Collinson, 17, was found dead in March 2002 from a single gunshot wound to his head. He was also on guard duty.
Surrey police did not respond to a request for comment.
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.
